I know this is more hardware related, so please let me know if I should move this post elsewhere.
I built my first server earlier this year, and put buying a UPS on the back burner. Unfortunately for me, this might have already been my biggest mistake since going down this rabbit hole. The rental I’ll be in for at least another 10 months has some questionable wiring (a lot of rooms/outlets wired to the same breaker), which I believe has created some electrical anomalies and possibly killed some of my computer components. The memory on my PC went first, and now the 7-month-old PSU on my server is toast.
Bear in mind, I am not an electrician, so I could be entirely wrong on why this has happened. Regardless, it’s time I invest in a UPS. I have searched forums, blogs, YouTube, and cannot find consistent pros and cons for any of the big manufacturers. It seems like APC and CyberPower are the two big consumer grade manufacturers, which is probably what I should be looking at.
Here is what my server currently consists of:
| Type | Item | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i3-10100 | |
| CPU Cooler | Thermalright Peerless Assassin | |
| Motherboard | MSI MAG B560M | |
| Memory | Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-2666 CL16 Memory | |
| Storage | Crucial P3 1 TB NVME SSD | X2 |
| Storage | Hitachi Ultrastar He12 12 TB HDD | |
| Storage | Western Digital Ultrastar DC HC520 12 TB HDD | X2 |
| Case | Fractal Design Define 7 | |
| Power Supply | be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 550 | Replacement until I finish the RMA process on the dead power supply. |
| OS | Unraid | |
| Estimated Wattage | 238W | I have not tested this personally, but I will say the server is never really being stressed all that much. |
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
Despite some of the comments here, I suggest that you don’t overthink it; just buy an APC Back-UPS 600VA and be done with it. You have relatively low power requirements. The UPS will provide some surge protection (490J), several minutes of uptime, and a USB connection for automated shutdown.
The 600VA unit is less than $100 USD and replacement batteries are about half that. I’ve been using several of this same model for years without issue and we have many brown/blackouts being in a rural BC community. The batteries have lasted me 4-5 years.
You can always plan for something more significant down the road, if your hardware or needs change, but this should do fine in the interim.
@[email protected], this is the answer.
The important part is that its giving clean power to your hardware, and it only needs to last long enough to shut down nicely. Batteries in these units are usually just car or wheelchair batteries, so you can get them cheaper just as a regular battery too.
You can also grab an older UPS with a crapped out battery for cheap and swap the battery. Last time I did that I got the UPS for $10 (local pickup) and put a new battery in for $20 from Lowes. Battery is still solid, its been about 5 years for that one.
I have a APC Back-UPS 1600VA. It powers two desktop PC/Server, a monitor, and router. So far, it gets the job done.
The biggest downside is; battery is not user replaceable, at least it’s not straight forward like the other models. If possible, prefer a UPS with the easy battery replacement option.
Yup, this - batteries are consumables. They have a service life of ~2-5 years depending on load. If the manual doesn’t tell you how to replace them then it’s basically ewaste already
I’ve been running a pair of cyberpower systems for over a decade. I had to replace the battery in each of them once, but they’ve been working great.
I assume newer ones use some sort of Li-Ion battery tech, but mine are just plain old Lead Acid.
Nah they’re still lead acid. They seem to be robust and cheap.
Keep an eye on woot.com they have open box stuff all the time for decent discounts
They have deals on fire extinguishers too.
Haha the one I got was like 300 bucks off and when I plugged it in it had 0 hours on it so it was brand new. Been running fine for almost 3 years now. It cane with the warranty and free one year of their online service thing
Build your own just for fun. That’s homelab style
I will not recommend it if you don’t have enough experience.
Fire hazard.
